Time-clock indicator



Aug'. 14, 192s.

F. E. cAwi-'ORD TIME eLook INDICATOR Filed Aug. 9. 1921 Sheet sheet 1Kiwi' www@ f F. E. CRAWFORD TIME cLocK INDICATOR Aug. 14, 1912s. I

Filed Aug. 9. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. Y 14, 1928.

purr-an Y sarge @FFin FRANKLIN EFCRAWFORD, OF XVIEICHESTER, MASCHSETTS,ASSIGEOR- T0 AEKERS ELECTRIC PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATIGN, OF BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPOE TON OF MASSACI-USETTS.

TIME-CLOCK INDCATOR.

Application filed August 9, 1921. Serial No. 490,838.

This invention relates to means for indieating outside a bank vault orother guarded Vstructure having an automatic time locking,

the unelapsed time before theV lock will be opened, and thus, throughcomparisons of readings taken at short intervals of time, alsoindicating whether the clock which operates the lock is running.

In bank vaultsit is customary to have the time clock which controls thevault door inside the vault, the clock `being setbefore the vault isclosedy to unlock the door at the desired'time. Vith this arrangementthere is no way lof knowing, after the vault door` has been closed,whether the clock has been properly set or whether the clock is running.Such Amechanisms frequently fail to automatically unlock the vault atthe desired time. Sometimes thisisl due to the fact that the clock hasstopped. lf it can be ascertained that the clock has stopped there areways of starting the clock from the outside of thevault` but heretoforeit has been necessary to drill the door before the cause of the failureofthe mechanism to work could be discovered.

The principal objects of the present invention are to determine'whetheror not the clock has been properly set after the vault is closed, toindicate at all times the progress of the clock and how Ylong it will beuntil the vault is unlocked, and to indicate whethertheclock Ahasstopped in case the vault is not automatically unlocked at the intendedtime. By knowing the time at which the vault will be unlocked, attemptsof an employee in charge of the vault to gain unauthorized access to thesalneby setting the clock to open in the night-time er on a holiday canbe frustrated.

The invention consists in providing means in combination with a clockfor indicatingr outside the vault the progress of the clock. Theconnection between the outside indicator and the clock is preferablyelectric, rather than mechanical or pneumatic, inas much as theconnection can then be established through contacts on the door Vandcasing or through staggered openings on the vault. Instead ofcontinuouslyf indicating the progress of the clock, the indicator mayoperate intermittently to indicate the advance of the clock, by steps ofone hour for example. In the preferred form the inven* tion comprises aresistance element controlled by the clock which in turn controls anelectric indicator outside the vault, the indicator being calibratedpreferably in terms .of hours. The features of the invention are clearlyshown in the drawings in which'.-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a time-clock;

K Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. e is a sectional view of the upper portion of the clock on the line4-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic showing of the electric circuit;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of a portion of a bank vault showing the generalarrangement of the device, parts within the vault being indicated bybroken lines;

F 7 is a plan view of the element shown in Fig-6; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

The particular embodiment of the invention shown for the purpose ofillustration is diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, in whichreference character 9 indicates .the time-clock'within the vault and 1()the indicator upon the exterior, the electric connection between the twobeing shown by broken iine 11.

The time-clock is shown in detail in Figs. 1J; and consists of upper andlower spaced plates'l and 13 housing therebetween the usual clockgearing A Vdriven by main spring B, and provided with escapementassembly C. Upon the front face of plate 12 is a rotatable dial 11icalibrated in hour spaces, and provided on its periphery with gear teethwhich mesh with gear teeth upon a pinion 15, mounted on shaft 1G whichhas a squared projecting end 17 over which the winding and setting keyis adapted to t. The main spring B is attached to shaft 16 by which itis adapted to be wound. Shaft 16 serves as the winding means for themain spring B as well as the setting and dr' fing means for the dial141. Upon the upper face of dial 14 is a pin 18 which operates the lockof the vault. Attached to the upper plate 12 of the time-clock andoverhanging dial 14 is a fixed pointer 19 in relation to which thesetting of the dial is made. Im

mediately behind dial 14 and attached to plate 12 is a circularresistance coil 2O which consists Ypreferably of a winding ofresistancewire about an insulated core, the same being separated byinsulation from the plate 12. The t-urns of the resistance wire upon theside adjacent the dial 14 are exposed vand arranged to be contacted by alinger or contact member 21, fast upon the back of dial 14. p A

In Fig. 5 is shown the electric circuit whichconne'cts the indicator 10upon the eX- terior .of the vault with the resistance coil upon theclock within the vault. The circuit runs lfrom ground to resistance 27,thence to the battery 22, thence to the indicator 10, thence to theswitch 23, thence to the resistance winding 20, thence'to the finger 21and thence back to the ground.

In order that the walls of the vault may not be weakened by drillingtheV same to make the connections from the clock to the indicator and inorder that thedevice may operate only when the bank vault is closed, thepreferred connection is by way of the door casing and the door, the samebeing y shown in Figs. 6 to 8. Since the current in the circuit will beof low amperage and voltage only a small wire 1s needed which may beledin a shallow groove in the .walls of the vault following the surface ofthe stepped contour olf the door casing and the door, the connectionbeing made at 24 on Fig. 7 by means oi" contacts 25 and 26 upon thecasing and the door respectively. It preferred, an induced current,instead of a direct current could be used to operate the indicator.

The operation of the device is as follows: The dial of the clock 14being set relative to pointer 19 to indicate the number of hours toelapse before the vault will be automatically opened, the `linger 21will contact with a certain'portion of the resistance winding 20. Uponthe closing of the vault door the connection in the electric circuit ofthe indicator is made and a current fiows through the latter and isindicated bythe pointer of the indicator or electric meter 10. As thedial revolves more and more of the Vresistance of the winding is cut outand the indicator finger of the armature l0 moves to the right, markingoff the passage ot theY hours at exactly the same rate as the dial.vVhen the time is reached at which theY lock is to be sprung through theaction of 'pini18, the indicator will have reached theV eXtreme positionat the right with the full current'of the battery 22 flowing.

I claim:

1. Vault protection apparatus comprising lock control mechanism locatedinside' the vault and inaccessible from the exterior thereof when thevault is locked, said mechanism i-ncluding means adapted to be set sothat the vault lock will be conditioned for opening at the end of aperiod of ,time of determined length, and beingV designed to prevent theunlocking of the door .until the expiration of saidA period, and anindicator outside ofthe vault for indicating theV unelapsed portion ofsaid period, and means whereby said indicator is electrically controlledby said mechanism to showthe unelapsedportion Vof said period, wherebythe condition ot the lock controlmechanism is Vindicated eXteriorly ofthevault during the time in which it is inaccessible.

2. Vault protection apparatus comprising locking mechanism locatedwithin the Vault and inaccessible from the exterior thereof when thevault is locked, said mechanism including time controlled means adaptedto be set to prevent manipulationrotthe locking mechainsm'before thetermination of a period of time Vof determinable length, an element ofsaid time controlled means being movable in accordance with theunelapsed portion of said period, an indicator'V outside of the vaultfor showing the unelapsed portion of said period, and energytransmitting means for permitting Vsaid element to con-l trol theposition of said indicator, Vsaid energy transmitting means beingarranged to prevent tampering with the indicator or with the portion ofthe means outside the vault from affecting the condition of the lockingmechanism. Y

Signed by me at Boston, this 3rd day of August, 1921,

' FRANKLN E. CRAWFORD.

Massachusetts,

